The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-13
THE PANHANDLE THIEVES
FURTHER INTELLIGENCE ABOUT
THE GREAT ROBBERIEs =
Committed by the Employees OF the
koad-A Ssd Incident In
the Arrests.

the fannhnOlo IullIonu iOI IuuDluB
freight trains continues to be the
principal topic OF conversation among
railroad men and citizens generally.
Superintendent Taylor's Office was
besieged from early morning by doz sns
Of men who were in search OF employ
ment. They locked 20 the depot 30
( ct that q line OF them extended out
side OF the Office waiting for their APP
pllcations for situations az freight con.
duetors or brsksmen TO be heard.
Many OF them were given employ
ment. The road Is now fully equipped,
aud there is being no delay In the
movement OF freight. No arrests have
been reported since last night. 1t IL
thought the officials OF the road are
Satisfied with the work CT the detec'
tives, and that no more arrests will be
made in this city. Speaking OF the
probable conviction OF the men now
In iail, Special Agent Rue said this
morning that OF the sixty men now
under arrest there were not more than
one, or probably two Of them, who
stood any chance Of baing shown not
guilty. Said he: 1--WE had our evil
dence 30 complete that we
did not make any arrest IN
til we had sufficient proof
to show that the man was guilty. We
expec! to make eight or ten more ar
rests Of men who worked the road
successfully for a time and then for
fear of detection took position on
other lines. This will swell the total
number OF arrests to sixty-eight or
| seventy" Mr.. Rue said the "a 1dest
case in connection with the arrests was
| that Of q man whose child was dying.
! When the officers Knocked a. the door
of his home on Sunday night he was
sitting with his VIE by the bedside Of
his sick child. He appeared to be a
| man OF more than ordinary intelligence
| and his home had an air OF refinement
| about II. When the officers tJld him
they had a warrant for his arrest be
| seemed TO realize at once the disgrace
int which he had fallen and he broke
down completely. The tap.ure of j.
r. Dnnlap at Dennison, Ohio, yester-
day particularly pleased the detectives.
| AS stated last night he made q comics.
| sion In which hs said that the stealing
he'd been going on for months. He
said he could give the names OF all the
men implicated onthe Pittsburg divi-
! sion OF the Panhandle, but was afraid
| to do go, his language to the oficera
being: II would give you the names
Of officers, but, great God, they
would kill me-" There was no orgaui-
cation among the robbers, D1nlsp
raid, and no regular place OF work
Each crew worked by itself. 1t was a
common understanding that every
man should take all he could and dis
pose Of II to the best advantage.
There were a number of principals"
that name being applied to those who
reaped lbs largest benefits from the
robberies by giving the others pointers
as to what cars contained the most
goods. These persons were generously
rewarded by the less prominent thieves
after the pluudtr had been disposed oil
to the fences. The fences, Dunlap
said, were located in New Philsdel
phia, Dennison, Sseubenville, Oincin'
natl aud Pittsburg, and also in Column
bus. Notwithstanding Dunlap's con
fession, the officers OF the road still
believe that the pluuderers we're thor
oughly organized and were carrying
on the robbery under the systematic
direction of shrswd leaders. When q
o man entered the service of the
road, II he was thought to be the righi
kind OF o fellow, he was initia'e iutC
the gang with a rigid oath binding him
To secrecy, After he had beer
initiated 1t was easy enough &c
keep him in check If he be
gan to feel any pangs OF Goa
science. 1t was broadly limited to then
that any wrong move would result dis
sstrously, as railrosding furnished frs
class opportunities for putting men on
of the way. Young men from thu
country, who were just beginning tc
run on the road, were the easiest prey
They could soon be persuaded tina
there was nothing wrong about steal
ing from the rich railroad companies
Being unused to the tricks of the OLE
heads, they were easily led on unit
they were 10 deep in the tolls tina
they could not get out If they want
cd to.
A telegram from Harrisburg, Pa,
states that a bill WAS introduced in tn
S ate Lseisla ure last night, which
Intended to cover such cases rs tn
railroad car robberies brought to Iigh
in this city yesterday. The bill is Ii
the shape Of an amendment to tn,
penal code, ~"relating to breaking o
entering cars CT locomotives" A
.-e NlawA IL mn ananYHn Ia N 4
breaking open q car unless 1t is prove
that the car vas forced with intent 4
commit felony.
TIE proposed act provides tina
any person who shall in the day tim,
break and enter any Car, caboose o.
locomotive, aud wiliully and malicious
ly, either by day or night, with O
without breaking, enter the same will
intent 10 commit any felony whateve
therein, the person 30 offending shal
be guilty Of felony, and OF
conviction, be sentenced t.
pay q hne not exceedinI
$500, and TO undergo an Imprisonment
by separate and solitary confinement
ct labor not exceeding four years" o
course this cannot apply to the pres
emit casa q in Pittsburg, but 1t will cove
any that may occur in the future.
While rumsging through the e1sc'
of one Of the ringleade,s Of the Pan
handle robbers this morning. Specia
Officer Miller discovered a packaS
containing Elk giant dynamite cart
ridges, 81 efficient TO blow up the larges
building in town. The discovery ere
a,ed considerable alarm aad the cart
ridges were handled very gingerly. !
further exAmiDBtion disclosed a lot o
fuse and caps. La fact, all the neces
cary parsphernalia for the successful
firing Of the cartridges. Immediatsl
after the finding OF tho dynamite a
investigation was begun, the result 0
which, however, the detectives re
fused to make public. They even de
clined to give the name Of the man Il
whose room the stuff was found. OFF
Ger Miller intimated that that the oh
iect OF the robber in securing an,
storing the dynamite was known, AM
that It would make good Cadin9 whel
the proper time for its dis closure came